Express News Service
NAGPUR: In 2008, the newly-built Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Jamtha, Nagpur was all decked up for its international debut by hosting the fourth and final Test of the series against visiting Australia. The match gained further significance as the then India’s most-successful captain Sourav Ganguly was scheduled to retire from the international arena after the contest.
Another player, though, stole the limelight on his debut. Jason Krejza bamboozled the India batters with his off-break to bag eight in the first innings and finish the match with an impressive 12-wicket haul. The Aussies lost the match and series 0-2 but Krejza was adjudged player of the match for his brilliant show in his maiden Test outing.
Fourteen years later, the same story unfolded between the same opponents at the same venue with the only difference being the protagonist. Todd Murphy, another off-spinner, impressed all and sundry as he bagged a fifer (5/82 in 36 overs) including the prized wicket of batter Virat Kohli on his maiden international outing. “It’s been a pretty special couple of days.
To top it off with a five-wicket haul on debut is more than I ever hoped for and it is going to be something that I’ll look back on for the rest of my life and be proud of,” said Murphy at the end of the second day’s play. There were talks of him being included in the playing XI ahead of the match but it was a tough call as Australia had never picked two off-spinners in the same Test since 1988.
With Nathan Lyon being their primary offie, dice seemed to be loaded against Murphy. More importantly, the 22-year-old Murphy was a fringe state cricketer trying desperately to break into the Victoria starting XI last year. However, a prolific Sheffield Shield campaign for Victoria where he claimed 29 wickets in seven matches brought him into the reckoning as India tour loomed.
Given the sub-continental pitches, the bespectacled Murphy was included in the 18-member Australian squad. “I think this time last year I was still not in the state side so it sort of has been quite quick progress,” he said speaking on his dream journey in the last one year. But until 2016, he used to be a medium-pace bowling all-rounder.
As he realised it was not working, Murphy started bowling off-spin in the nets. A tour of Sri Lanka with Australia A followed by a 10-day visit to the MRF Academy in Chennai last year helped him understand the conditions in the sub-continent. “One of the biggest things for me was getting to go to Sri Lanka and being on that A tour and having a little bit of success. That probably gave me the confidence I needed going back to Australia that I could mix it with first class cricketers.”
The past learnings paid dividends when he was summoned to bowl towards the end of Day 1 by skipper Pat Cummins. He had India opener KL Rahul in the penultimate over of the opening day and followed it up with four more wickets the next day. Krejza might have ended with just two Tests under his belt despite the dazzling debut but Murphy looks set for a big innings especially with his show of skills, that included the trajectory, loop, angle, curve and seam rotation.
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